We're All Going to the World's Fair

We're All Going to the World's Fair

Year: 2022

Runtime: 86 min

Language: English

Director: Jane Schoenbrun

Echo Score: 66
DramaHorror

While spending late nights online, Casey discovers the World's Fair Challenge, a strange and unsettling role-playing game. Drawn into the game's promise of change, she begins documenting her experiences, which quickly become increasingly surreal. As the line between the digital world and reality blurs, a mysterious online presence takes notice of Casey's uploads, suggesting a disturbing connection between them.

We're All Going to the World's Fair (2022) – Spoiler-Free Movie Summary & Plot Overview

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In a quiet suburban town where the glow of a laptop screen becomes a portal to something larger, Casey spends her sleepless nights scrolling through the endless tide of internet whispers. Living with a single father who is often preoccupied, she feels the weight of isolation and the yearning for a connection that stretches beyond the walls of her bedroom. When a cryptic online trend called the World’s Fair Challenge surfaces—a viral ritual that promises transformation and a glimpse of something beyond ordinary reality—she is drawn in by its unsettling allure and the promise of change that it whispers to lonely hearts.

The film immerses the viewer in a digital‑dreamscape that blurs the line between everyday life and the uncanny glow of online mythos. Its tone is a slow‑burning mix of modern horror and coming‑of‑age melancholy, where each click, each recorded confession, feels both intimate and eerily public. The aesthetic leans heavily on dimly lit rooms, soft flickers of webcam light, and the hypnotic cadence of low‑key narration, creating an atmosphere that feels simultaneously familiar and disquieting. As Casey begins documenting her journey, the audience senses an escalating tension between the safety of her solitary routine and the unsettling invitation of an unseen community that watches and responds from the shadows of the internet.

Amidst this fragile equilibrium, a mysterious online presence known only by a handle reaches out, hinting at a deeper, perhaps unsettling, connection. Their tentative exchange becomes a quiet thread that pulls Casey further into the maze of the challenge, amplifying her curiosity and the film’s undercurrent of digital unease. The story sets up a compelling portrait of a teenager navigating the liminal space where personal identity, virtual obsession, and the yearning for belonging intersect, leaving viewers to wonder just how far a whispered promise on a screen can reach into the heart of reality.

Last Updated: August 10, 2025 at 00:15

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Movies about digital paranoia and online isolation like We're All Going to the World's Fair

Stories where online worlds amplify isolation and unravel fragile mental states.If you liked the exploration of internet horror and teenage loneliness in We're All Going to the World's Fair, you'll find similar stories here. These movies delve into themes of digital identity, mental health crises fueled by online experiences, and the chilling blurring of reality in the internet age.

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Narrative Summary

These narratives typically follow an isolated protagonist delving into a strange online community or game. Their search for connection or change leads them down a rabbit hole, where their perception of reality becomes distorted. The story is a character-driven descent, often culminating in ambiguous outcomes that question what was real and what was a digital fiction.

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Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on the psychological impact of the internet. They share a dark, melancholic tone, a slow, atmospheric pace that builds unease, and a heavy emotional weight centered on themes of isolation, identity crisis, and the erosion of reality.

Slow-burn psychological character studies with heavy atmospheres like We're All Going to the World's Fair

Atmospheric films where internal turmoil manifests as creeping external dread.Fans of the slow-burning, atmospheric dread and deep character focus in We're All Going to the World's Fair will appreciate these films. They feature a similar pacing that prioritizes mood over action, often exploring themes of mental fragility, isolation, and a surreal blurring of reality and fantasy.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern is a linear but deeply internal journey. The plot is minimal, serving as a framework to explore a character's deteriorating mental state or existential crisis. The conflict is often internal, with external events acting as a catalyst or a distorted reflection of the protagonist's inner world, leading to an emotionally heavy and often ambiguous conclusion.

Why These Movies?

These films are united by their slow pacing, which allows unease to simmer. They share a dark or melancholic tone, medium intensity derived from psychological tension rather than overt action, and a heavy emotional weight. The focus is consistently on a deep, often distressing, character study.

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